Forever Shaded and Jaded
by WritersOfTheRain
Summary: In an attempt to protect his children from his past, Christian has left his children in the dark about his formative years. But the past can't hide forever, and Christian and Ana are forced to confront his memories again as their son rebels further and further from Christian's controlling nature; and begins to discover his own disturbing compulsions.
1. Chapter 1

**Forever Shaded and Jaded**

 **Chapter 1**

I pause at the base of the front porch. I glance again at my watch.

 _12:35pm. Two hours late. Again. He's going to be furious._

With bated breath, I turn the doorknob and step inside. The house is dark. _Maybe I got lucky_ , I think to myself. The floor of the old house creeks quietly as I make my way across the front hall, tiptoeing to the stairs. Just when I think I've gotten away with it, I hear a voice.

"Theodore Grey." It comes out as an exasperated growl. "How many times have we discussed this?"

I can feel the anger building in my chest. Why does he always treat me like a child?

"I lost track of time," I grumble. I'm not giving him any more than that. It's all I ever get from him, anyways.

"This is unacceptable Ted," the voice continues, angst building. "Your mom and I were worried about you. Do you have any idea how late it is? Do you have any idea what could have happened?"

"Dad!" I cry in exasperation. "I'm fine! I can take care of myself. It's not like we live in the red light district."

I can almost hear the steam exiting his useless ears.

"You're just a boy; you don't get to make this call", he growls. "I make the rules around here and it's your job to obey them!"

"You make the rules?" I smirk. "Okay." The word is dripping with sarcasm. I suppress the urge to remind him that mom is the real dictator around here.

He stands authoritatively. Sigh. Now I've done it. He _really_ doesn't like to be mocked. He stomps towards me and hovers over my face, eyes blazing.

"Not. One. More. Word. Upstairs to your room. Now."

In a moment of both rebellion and stupidity, I roll my eyes at him as I turn towards the landing. Fuck, why did I do that? He grabs my arm and yanks me back towards him.

"You are treading on thin ice here son," he warns.

"What's going on?" I look up and there's mom standing a few stairs up, arms crossed. Thank God.

"Look at the time!" Dad barks, "What do you think is going on?" You know he's mad when he starts taking it out on mom.

"Christian, it's midnight," she says with a sigh. "Teddy, up to your room, we'll talk about this in the morning." I heave a sigh of relief and happily continue up the stairs. She stops me as I pass by.

"We _will_ talk about this tomorrow morning, do you understand me?" Her voice is stern and accusatory without a hint of patience for excuses. God, why are they so crazy? I just nod my head and continue up to my room, Dad fuming in my wake. I can hear them arguing for a few more minutes before finally giving it a rest.

I put in my ear buds and switch on Pearl Jam before hitting the pillow. Tomorrow morning is going to suck.

Read my original work on my blog: writersoftherain dot wordpress dot com

Or follow me on Wattpad! user/PjHaynie


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I slammed my body into the heavy entry door of the school, absorbing with pleasure the impact against my seething, angered muscles. A few people jumped out of the way - ha. If they knew what I'd been through that morning, they'd be running a lot further.

Mom and Dad really gave it to me. Well, Dad did anyways. Mom tried to talk him down but there's no controlling that man. I was grounded for a week. A whole week! How was I going to survive an entire week being home every evening? What was I going to tell Emma? We had a great weekend of parties planned.

I glared ahead as I stomped through the school, ignoring the wayward glances.

"Teddy, snap out of it," came a hoarse whisper next to me. It was Phoebe.

"Go away," I snapped, rolling my eyes. My sister could be so annoying, always nosing around in my personal business.

"Teddy, you're blowing through school like a friggin tornado here. Take a chill pill, it's embarrassing." I finally looked at her to see her cheeks flushed and her eyes pleading. I felt a tinge of guilt. Sophomore year is tough, and she was having a rougher go of it than I did.

I sighed in annoyance, but slowed my pace and tried to temper the raging psychopath within.

"I'm fine, now get away from me."

With a victorious smile, she obliged.

 _God, I hate it when she does that_.

I looked around for Emma but she wasn't in the commons area. I remembered she had a make-up test that morning. Good. I was in no mood to talk about the morning's events and she would never let it go if she saw me like this.

I threw my backpack by my desk in class, looking forward to the distraction of my hot and saucy math teacher.

"Teddy!" I looked up from my group of friends huddled around the red lunch table in the middle of the commons area. Emma!

Keeping my excitement under wraps, I granted her a nonchalant nod as she danced over, wrapping her arms around my neck from behind. I loved it when she did this. This woman just took over when she was with me. But of course, I feigned disinterest and tossed her brief glance and a smile.

"What are you doing?" She greeted, her tone accusatory. "I thought we were supposed to meet outside my class."

Oops.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot," I replied, masking my apologetic tone and hoping the guys weren't listening. I awaited her standard barrage of questions, but to my surprise she simply shoved my buddy Alex over and squished in with the rest of us. Damn, this girl could be bold. I lazily put my arm around her and went back to eating my sub sandwich.

"How was your make-up test?" I asked, my mouth gnawing away noisily at my sub.

Her eyes lit up - she always got so excited when I asked about her. It always annoyed me.

"Good I think!" She said. "I don't know if I'll get an A or not, but I think my chances are good/." And off she went, rattling off the details of her test, her grades, and all the things she needed to accomplish before graduation. I was grateful for the opportunity to dive into my waiting lunch, throwing in a grunt here and there to indicate I was listening.

As she continued to babble, I noticed someone in a red hoodie jacket walking slowly toward the lunch line, arms crossed, head down, light brown hair sitting unglamourously on her shoulders. And the signature plaid skirt and white socks - God, I loved that plaid skirt. I watched with interest as she stood in line, glancing around every now and then with impatience, tapping her foot on the linoleum floor.

This girl had been intriguing me for weeks. I had no idea why, but I suspected it had something to do with that red hoodie and skirt. I'd noticed she'd wear the hoodie every day - rain or shine - but the skirt less often. Which is too bad because I'd come to look forward to admiring it. It was a daily mystery wondering when those sexy legs would wander into my view again.

She scratched her leg and adjusted her skirt as she stepped closer to the register. I'd have liked to scratch that leg.

 _What on earth goes through that pretty little head of hers?_

"Teddy, did you hear me?!" I snapped my head back to attention - shit, did Emma catch me staring?

"Huh? Yeah, you were talking about school?" She heaved a sigh.

"Yes. Five minutes ago. I was asking what time you're picking me up Friday. I have FBLA after school and I might not be home until 6."

"Uhhh.." Shit, how was I going to tell her? She was going to kill me. "Well, uh… I don't know if I can go." I dove back into my lunch hoping the camouflage of my chips could save me from oncoming hurricane.

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" She muttered through clenched teeth.

I looked around trying desperately to find something to distract us from this conversation, but the lunchroom was disturbingly void of activity.

I sighed with frustration.

"I'm grounded," I finally muttered, sending a comical sprinkle of chip pieces in my wake.

Staring at me with distinct displeasure, Emma extended her finger to her nose and, with an acute combination of sassiness and sophistication, gently flicked a chip piece from her cheek. I suppressed a laugh.

That didn't help.

She stood up from the table and glared down at me. "Teddy, I told you how important this was to me! How could you go and get grounded? God, I could kill that stupid dickhead father of yours. Just tell him to go to hell!"

I didn't want to do this; particularly not in front of all my friends who were now staring at me, barely containing their smiles.

"Emma, we'll talk about this later, ok?" I insisted, returning her glare. "Don't you have a class to go to?" I knew that would get her off her high horse.

"Fine!" She seethed. And with that, she stormed off.

"Oooooh poor little Teddy-Weddy is in twubble."

Oh God, not this...

"Teddy, how could you? I thought I had you whipped. Do you need more training?" Bobby and Liam were leading the pack, flinging comment after mocking comment. Why did Emma always put me in this position?

I laughed it off, helplessly jabbing back at my friends about their deserted sex lives and lame evenings of Dungeons and Dragons. Eventually they found someone else to tease and I escaped, embarrassed and flustered into the hallway towards gym class. I turned the corner and threw open the gym door.

 _Thwack!_

I hit something. Something hard. Maybe some _one_? I walked gingerly through the door and spotted black shoes, socks…and then as I peeked around the door - a plaid skirt.

Ah fuck.

Read my original work on my blog: writersoftherain dot wordpress dot com

Or follow me on Wattpad! user/PjHaynie


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I sat uncomfortably on the countertop of the nurse's office waiting for Red Plaid Skirt to finish getting patched up. I couldn't believe my bad luck. What a way to make a first impression. I scolded myself for my carelessness. Sometimes my strength seemed to just get away from me and I hated that. I pictured the look in her eyes when I'd helped her up. It wasn't a grateful look... But it _was_ pretty damn sexy.

I snapped to attention as she came through the lobby door, a simple butterfly bandage taped just above her eyebrow. I was surprised how well it suited her; i found myself wondering how she'd look with an eyebrow ring.

She stopped in front of me with a look of annoyance.

"Why are you still here?"

Not quite the greeting I was expecting.

"Everything ok?" I inquired, ignoring her slight.

She sighed with impatience. "I'm fine," she muttered as she continued past me towards the door.

A bit of a bitch, wasn't she? I caught the eye of an equally shocked girl by the front desk who was quick to grant me a shy and apologetic smile. I scowled. Once upon a time I had enjoyed these frequent looks of admiration, but as I'd grown older, remarks about my resemblance to my dad had become more and more commonplace.

And I didn't want to be anything like him.

I turned disdainfully away from the pretty blonde girl and caught up to Red Plaid Skirt. I was on the precipice of asking her what her problem was when she whirled around, almost causing me to plow her down once again, and looked me accusingly in the eye.

"I said I was fine," she asserted, "why are you following me?"

Caught off guard, I shuffled my feet and fumbled over my words. "I just... Look, I'm sorry, ok? It was an accident. You don't have to get so bent out of shape, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Agh. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I hated doing this. I was never good with apologies.

"I know," she retorted, somewhat more resigned. She raised her eyebrows impatiently. "Is that all?"

I stared at her dumbfounded.

"You don't get apologies often do you?" I scoffed.

"I don't get smacked with doors very often if that's what you mean," she growled.

"I told you it was -"

"Yeah, I know," she interrupted. "It was an accident." She rolled her eyes and I felt my anger build.

Don't start channeling your dad, Ted. Not here, not now.

"If you know it was an accident then why are you angry at me?" I flustered.

"I'm sorry," she mewled sarcastically, "I almost had to get stitches a few minutes ago, I guess I should be happy."

She stalked out the front office door.

Oh no. This was not happening. I stomped after her, fully aware of my irrationally flaming temper. I threw open the office door - yet again, but with far less disastrous results this time, and grabbed her arm.

"What is your problem?" I demanded.

The look she gave me sent ice up my spine. She looked terrified. Something told me she'd been grabbed like this before. I dropped her arm like a hot potato, gazing at her apologetically. She stared me down.

"Don't ever touch me again," she warned, her voice low and threatening. I stepped back in alarm as she turned and disappeared into the crowd of students.

No. No, no, no. I didn't mean to hurt her. _Fuck, I'm not that guy!_

 _Damnit!_

I was pissed. I stood in the middle of the hall both flabbergasted and...well, uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Nothing irked me more than guys with heated egos and controlling instincts. That look she had given me was like a tourniquet around my neck.

 _I'm not that guy!_ I repeated to myself.

I looked around, unsure what to do next, but the school bell saved me, pulling me back into the present.

 _Deal with this later. You've got to get to class. Graduation isn't far off._

I slung my bag over my shoulder and sulked reluctantly to English class.

Read my original work on my blog: writersoftherain dot wordpress dot com

Or follow me on Wattpad! user/PjHaynie


	4. Chapter 4

"Teddy, you're not going to win this one." Mom was sitting angrily at the table, pen in hand, reviewing bills or some shit. She had recently written a New York Times article that had flopped big-time; I took it upon myself to blame this incident for her recent bitchiness.

"But it's not fair!" I asserted, "I've had this party planned for weeks! I've been grounded for four days already, just let me go!" I was so pissed, I could've broken something. But I'd done that before and it didn't go over too well…

"This is discussion is over." She gave me that "Mom" look that told me this wouldn't be the last party I'd miss if I didn't leave her alone. I sighed. Dad was upstairs getting ready for some stupid corporate event they were going to – there was no way I was going to get anywhere pleading my case with him. I stalked down to my room in the basement, popped on my headphones, and pulled out a stack of porn from my stash under the bed. If they weren't going to let me go, I was damn well going to do _something_ to piss them off.

My phone buzzed next to me. Emma.

"So? Did you get out of it?" It read.I rolled my eyes _. Here we go…_

"No. I'm pretty much screwed tonight." My head hit the pillow. Even the lovely ladies of _Busty Babes_ couldn't comfort me tonight. My phone buzzed again.

"Fuck that. I'm coming to get you." _No!_ I began typing rigorously.

"No, don't. Just go, I'll b fine. You don't understand my dad, he's fucked up." Another buzz.

"Grow a pair. I'm coming." I threw my phone to the floor. I knew better to argue with her, but the last time I'd gotten caught sneaking out I thought my Dad was going to beat the shit out of me. To this day, he still had never layed a hand on me, but there's a first for everything…

I snuck halfway up the stairs to see what my parents were up to. If they didn't leave soon, Emma would run right into them and blow my cover before I even put it on.

"He's just a kid," I heard Mom say, "He needs his independence, Christian."

"I know he's just a kid," Dad barked. "Why do you think I'm protecting him? I can't do it again, Ana. I can't lose another one of you, not for one second – that fucking nightmare is unliveable."

"Oh Christian…" Mom consoled. I knew what he was referring to. Apparently some guy Mom used to work with escaped prison and tried to kidnap us when we were little. Obviously he didn't succeed, but that stupid fucker inspired my dad to be on 24/7 police duty around us ever since. I hated him for that. Both of them. One idiot's lame attempt at a life of crime had somehow managed to ruin my entire life. "He's in prison for good now. We don't have to worry about that anymore – "

"How the fuck do you know!" Dad screamed. I jumped back a few steps. "There's always someone else – some other person lurking around the corner, trying to take what I have!" Dad was so goddamn intense sometimes. Calm down, dude! "I don't want to talk about this anymore." That was Dad's signature line – always a great way to shut us up. "Let's just go. Are the neighbors watching?" I didn't hear any response, but footsteps began plodding in my direction. I ran back down the stairs and into my room.

"Teddy?" Mom called.

"What," I scoffed. She paused.

"Mrs. Schofield is watching so don't even think about trying anything." Damnit. I didn't answer.

"Teddy, goddamnit, tell your mother you understand. I want to hear you say it!" Dad commanded.

"For God's sake, I get it!" I cried. I slammed the door and returned to my perch on my bed, fuming.

"Good," he said, slightly less agitated. "We'll be back around midnight. Take care of your chores like you promised, please." Mom always tried to convince me that was his way of saying "I love you". Humph. As if my dad even knew what those words meant.

I heard them shut the front door and the house was quiet. Phoebe was off with a few friends until her curfew at 10 (again, Mrs. Schofield was watching – blah, blah, blah) so it was just me for a few hours. I picked up my phone to see if Emma had texted again, maybe to give up on her fruitless endeavor. Nothing. She was coming. Which meant I was going to have to find a way to sneak out.

 **My short story romance is up on Amazon, along with the link to the FREE Indie Pop title track! Here's the link: www dot amazon dot com/Losing-You-P-j-Haynie-ebook/dp/B01663N97K**

 **Or just search for "Losing You" by P j Haynie**

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**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

I pulled on a pair of jeans, one of my nicer button-shirts, threw some gel in my hair and tiptoed upstairs to watch for Emma. It was stupid, really – no one was home, obviously, but I didn't want to take any chances. I was already in a lot of trouble and I didn't want to make things worse.

 _Which I suppose means sneaking out was maybe not the best choice…_

I saw headlights pull into the driveway. I parted the front blinds to confirm that it was Emma – blue VW bug; yep, it was her. I grabbed my wallet and flew out the door, happy to be free of my house and my psycho family for a little while.

I hopped into the passenger side and gave Emma a kiss. She looked hot. She had some tight little dress on I'd never seen before and she'd clearly taken time getting ready. I started to wonder if maybe we should head to her house instead.

"Ready?" she asked with a cheeky smile on her face. I brushed a hair out of her eye and kissed her again. She tasted good. But no, our time was short and I knew she'd been looking forward to this party.

"Let's do this!" I cried. I leaned back in my seat and propped my feet up on the dashboard.

"Get your feet down, goddamnit!" she screamed at me. I smiled and rolled my eyes. So Emma. I was glad to be with her tonight. She sure had a way of keeping me on my toes.

It took a half hour to get to Casey's house where the party was being held. He lived in an older house out in the sticks near a huge sheep farm. The place reeked like hell, but his parents were out of town and no one within miles could hear the rucus (or see the beer…) we were making so it was pretty ideal. Emma pulled up on the front lawn and parked next to an old restored black Mustang. I jumped out to inspect.

"Ah, nice!" I cried, running my fingers across the shiny waxed surface. "One of these babies is going to be mine someday," I mused to Emma. She waited patiently. For about five seconds. Then grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the house. I looked off into the neighboring field on our way in – the sheep were grazing and the moon was hanging lazily not far above. It provided enough light to see the hills in the distance and a few more houses dotting the landscape. It was pretty sweet.

"Take a look at that, Emma," I said. I pointed at the moon and she groaned.

"Come on, you want to talk about the moon? There's beer inside, let's go get lit!" I laughed (partly at myself) and followed her inside.

The party was raging. I could swear the entire school was there. I said hi to my buddies and grabbed and drink for me and Emma. She had already found her giggly gaggle of friends so I gladly left them to their gossip and found my buddy Mike playing poker over by the den. I slapped him on the shoulder, gulping my beer.

"Hey man, you making the big bucks yet?" I teased.

"Nah, man, we're playing for condoms," he said with a grin. Sure enough, in the middle of the table was a pile of about 10 condoms of varying brands, shining like pirate doubloons. "Whoever wins gets to get laid as many times as there are condoms."

I laughed. "Some of us don't have to play poker to get laid, man." He shoved me out of the way.

"Get the fuck out of here, you're throwing off my game." I meandered behind him to analyze his hand.

As I was determining my opinion of his, well, completely useless hand, I noticed someone walk in the door. A couple of girls screamed and ran up to a long-haired brunette who stood grinning by the door in her hoodie. It was her. The girl in the plaid skirt. No plaid skirt this time, but she did have on an even sexier black skirt and big clunky black boots. I watched her walk shyly in, then survey the room. She caught my eye and I flinched, trying to pretend I was looking at the wall behind her, but I don't think she bought it. She scowled, turned away, and got swallowed up in the crowd.

I chugged the rest of my beer and then downed Mike's too.

"Dude, what the hell?" he cried. I ignored him. _She's not gonna get away that easy._

 **For a free copy of my short story romance on Amazon, just email me at pjhaynie at yahoo dot com and I'll send it right over!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

I pushed through the crowd to the hallway leading to the vast dining room. I snatched up another beer on my way and chugged it without thinking. I caught sight of her on the opposite side of the table as my buzz began to kick in. I squeezed through a few more people. Almost there…

"Teddy!"

 _Damnit. Emma accosted me._

"Come on, baby come dance with me!"

 _Jesus, she's already drunk._ Which meant there would definitely be no arguing with her. Irritated, I followed her back into the front room by the poker table where a group was bumping and grinding. She grabbed me and pulled me close, working her body the way she always had.

 _Can't complain about that…_

I started getting into it, enjoying her sensuality – the way she guided my every step, moved with stone-cold confidence, and looked like a pop star even in her drunkenness. She was making me pretty Goddamn hot.

I paused for a minute to do shots with a few of the guys at the poker table, and then we were at it again, slow and sexy… My head started to get fuzzy as the liquor took effect and I found myself eyeing the stairs that led up to the empty bedrooms. I slipped my fingers underneath Emma's shirt, caressing her belly – she didn't protest. I started kissing her neck and biting her skin. _God, she's hot._ I kept thinking. They were about the only words my hormone-raging drunken brain could concoct.

I wanted to suggest we go upstairs but I was too nervous – what if she said no? What if she thought I was taking her away from her fun? She liked her social life and it wasn't unusual for me to accidentally dampen that with my extreme introversion; I didn't want her mad at me again. My apprehension was soon settled when she reached up on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, "Let's go find a room upstairs".

Our faces lit up with goofy smiles and I followed her up the stairs. She chose one of the first rooms we arrived at, locking the door behind me and pulling me in so our mouths were locked like a bank safe, sheltered from the rest of the world and unbreakable. She pulled away and stepped back, slowly peeling her top off as I practically drooled over the possibilities. _How does she do this to me?_ I thought.

"Why were you following that girl?" she asked. I started.

 _Uh, what?_ I looked at her blankly. Why was she bringing up another girl at a moment like this? I couldn't think straight. What was she talking about?

"Don't think I don't know you, Teddy," she continued when it became clear I was not going to provide any insight into her inquiry, "I saw you following her. Do you like her?"

Suddenly it registered – the girl in the plaid skirt. She caught my eyes wandering.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, feigning innocence. She started unbuttoning her shorts. _Oh my god, she teasing me! She's trying to torture information out of me!_

Mustering all the focus I could considering the half-naked girl in front of me, I fought back, "What the fuck are you doing, Emma? Quit playing games."

Her zipper slipped down. _Oh God._

"What games?" she said softly as she twirled her hair around her finger. "I'm just asking you a question. Why won't you answer me?"

"No," I said, my irritation quickly returning, "I know what you're doing and I'm not playing along."

Her shorts dropped to the floor.

"No, Teddy," she said, her anger beginning to manifest itself, "I know what _you're_ doing. You like her, don't you? You fucking want her!"

"No!" I cried, "God, I hate it when you act so ridiculous! You're my girlfriend, there's no one else!" I could feel my own rage starting to build. Almost without my permission, I sauntered up to her, eyes blazing until I was just inches from her delectable nose. She was shooting daggers with her eyes.

"You're mad at me?" I challenged.

"Yes," she replied. "I think you're full of shit."

I paused. "Hit me." I don't know where the words came from, they just slipped out. But I was too caught up in the moment to realize what was going on.

"Excuse me?" she scoffed, "You've lost your mind." She tried to walk around me to the door, but I blocked her.

"Hit me, goddamn it. You're mad at me, so hit me!"

"Leave me alone!" she cried, shoving me backwards.

 _Now we're talking_ , I thought.

I got right up in her face and yelled, my words slurring, "For fuck's sake, Emma, you're mad at me, so JUST. FUCKING. HIT ME."

A delectable sting whipped across my face as her hand connected with my jaw. She hadn't hit me; she punched me. She started shaking her hand out as I touched my damaged face.

"Are you fucking happy now?" she cried. I saw a drop of blood on my finger. _Nice._

"What the fuck?" Emma cried in horror. I looked around. I didn't see anything unusual. Then I realized she was looking down at my cock.

"This turns you on, does it?" she questioned as she backed away from me. I looked down – I was hard as a rock. I hadn't expected that… Her eyes returned to mine and I briefly hoped she'd be happy. "Sick bastard," she spat, "I'm done with you," and she stalked out of the room, leaving me confused and emotionally numb.

And lonely.

 **If you liked this story, you'll like my originals too! Visit my profile for a link to** _ **Losing You**_ **, an original romance that follows a very depressed and heart-broken Alexis as she is forced to deal with a very sarcastic and snarky bar patron who thinks he has all the answers to her love problems.**


	7. Chapter 7

I lumbered out of the bedroom in a daze. I was too drunk to be depressed, but sober enough to know I wasn't going to get laid – and that was fairly depressing. My head hung low as I started down the stairs to find my buddies. Considering the circumstances, I'd have to get moving if I was going to find a ride home before my parents caught me.

"Hey, you okay?"

I looked up and realized I was halfway down the stairs and face-to-face with Ms. Red Plaid Skirt. _Oh shit. Nice._

"Uh, yeah, just…um…" I couldn't think of anything else to say. My girlfriend just dumped me? Nah. Even alcohol couldn't blind me from seeing that was a bad way to start the conversation.

"I just saw, um, your girlfriend, I think? Emma? She left with Soren. Were you looking for her?"

I sighed. "No. I'm pretty she left without me on purpose." I shut my eyes and rubbed my forehead with my fingers.

"Oh. Sorry."

Suddenly I was irritated. This girl had hardly spoken two words to me since my apology; why the fuck was she suddenly being all Little House on the Prairie?

"Do you need something? Because in case you didn't work this out on your own, I have to find a ride."

She scoffed. "Excuse me, I was just trying to be nice."

"Really. So your bitchy side just suddenly took a hike? Get out of my way, I have to find my friends."

She faltered as I shoved my way past her and down the stairs.

"I'm sorry," she called after me.

I stopped in my tracks, turned, and gazed up at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry I was jerk before. I didn't mean to, I just…it's a long story." I recalled how she had flinched when I grabbed her arm at school the week before. I remembered having the distinct impression that she had been grabbed like that before – in far less ideal circumstances.

I paused to consider her apology. This shitty night was already down the toilet, giving her a break certainly wasn't going to make it any worse. "It's okay," I relented, "It's not like I gave you any reason to be nice to me…"

She smiled. I'd never seen her smile before. It was really nice. And kinda…hot.

"It was an accident. It happens."

 _Is it her drunkenness making her so nice to me all of a sudden_ , I wondered? No, she looked stone sober to me. I turned to continue my quest for a ride home but she stopped me once again.

"Wait, you said you need a ride?"

I couldn't believe what was happening. This girl – this ridiculously hot and, frankly, exasperating girl – who wouldn't give me the time of day just a few days ago was offering me a ride home. Was I going to say no?

 _Fuck no._

"Yeah…" I waited. She didn't respond. My shoulders fell. Maybe I'd read her wrong. _Strike two for the evening._

"I can give you a ride," my eyes lit up again, "I just have to make sure my friend has another way to get home. I'll go find her, just meet me by the front door."

I watched closely as she sashayed away, that black skirt hugging her ass in just the right way. Yep, this was the kind of girl I wanted to be taking home. I sauntered over to the front door, my spirits lifted and all thoughts of Emma dissipated. Perhaps it was good luck that she ran off on me. _With Soren_ , I thought. _That dickhead. I'll have to be sure to accidentally hit him in the nuts with the basketball in gym class next week._

A few minutes later, Ms. Red Plaid Skirt returned, that sexy grin gently painted on her face once again. I couldn't stop staring at her. She was a fucking model that night.

"Okay, I'm good. Let's get you home before you ralf all over the place."

I laughed. "Yes, ma'am".

I followed her out to her car – an old red Honda Wagovan. How fitting. Hanging from the rearview mirror was a set of red plaid dice. I hopped in the passenger side and gave them a flick.

"What's with all the red plaid?"

"I'm surprised you noticed," she began. I flushed. I hoped she'd think it was just the beer. "I've always liked plaid since I was a little girl. I had to go to Catholic school for a few years – that sucked big-time. But after we finally moved and I got to switch to public school, I kind missed those skirts. They're cute."

 _Hell yes, they are._ "Catholic school, eh? You hardly seem the type."

She giggled. Oh. My. God. How I loved that sound. "You got that right. If we hadn't moved I'm quite sure I would've burned down the entire school."

"Quite sure?" I couldn't help my incredulity ( _yes, that's a very big word for me; my English teacher, Ms. Burwyn, should get an award_ ), "What are you suddenly a Brit or something?"

"My parents are." _Oh, oops._ "There are some words that slipped into my vocabulary, I guess."

Well this girl was something else. Exotic. Different. Intriguing (score another one for Ms. Burwyn).

I drilled her all the way to my house – her family, her background, her hobbies, her future plans… I wanted to know it all. And despite my slurred language, she actually answered my questions. Her parents moved to the U.S. after they got married for a job her father found; he worked in business development. So she was born here, moved around a bit, but was last in Boston. They moved here just a few years ago – she switched to my high school this year because she wanted to be on the track team and our school had won the past few state competitions. She was a pole vaulter.

 _There's pole vaulting in high school?_

I was so caught up in our conversation that I completely forgot about the fact that I had snuck out earlier and would potentially be returning home to a huge pile of Angry Dad. She pulled up in front of my house.

"I'm such an idiot," I said, "I still don't even know what your name is. Wait, it's British, right? Let me guess…" I feigned deep thought. "Greta? Beatrix?"

She giggled again. I had to get more of that giggle. "Let's see…Clementine? Gwendolyn?" I had her rolling in all-out laughter now. I loved the way her little nose crinkled when she tried to stifle giggles.

"No! Just stop, okay! My parents aren't that cruel." She paused to pull herself together. "It's Saffron." She extended her hand. I looked at her in disbelief. _Really? What a terrible name!_

"Well, that's a much nicer name," I lied.

She smirked. "I was kidding. Do you seriously thing that's a nice name? I think it's awful."

She had me. I hung my head in shame. "I hate it too. Damn, these manners get me every time." I turned back to her. "Seriously, though, what's your real name?"

"Athena. Athena Devine."

 _Athena Devine_ (pronounced duh-veen for you who haven't been lucky enough to have Ms. Burwyn). _God, even her name is perfect._

"I'm Teddy Grey."

"I know."

I stared for a moment, letting myself get lost in her. I felt myself leaning forward. Fuck, what was I doing? But I couldn't stop it. I just wanted one small taste of those lips...

A flash of light startled me and I covered my eyes from the glare. We looked out the back window to see a black Audi pulling into the driveway.

 _Shit. Mom and Dad are home._


	8. Chapter 8

Dad's hands were spread out on the counter in a display of angsty contemplation. His face was beet red – I knew I was fucked.

"I honestly don't know what to do with you, Teddy. Your mom and I try to go out and have a nice night…" He drifted off. I could see he was attempting to maintain control. It pissed me off – he had no right to be so ridiculously angry.

"Both Phoebe and I know all you guys do is go to your old apartment so you can get away from us," I jabbed. I knew I was touching boiling water, but the sooner the pot spilled over, the better. "Don't pretend like I ruined some fancy million-dollar dinner or something."

"It's none of your business what we were doing! I mean, Jesus, look at you, you're even drunk! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you could have gotten in?"

 _Whoa._ Dad was raging even more than usual. I must've hit a button. I dropped my hands in frustration. "Oh come on, are you seriously going to tell me you never snuck out when you were a teenager?" I knew I had him there.

"That's completely beside the point. You were grounded. And in our house, grounded means no going out – and _definitely_ no drinking. How on earth do you expect us to trust you if we can't leave you alone for even one Goddamn evening?"

Mom stepped in. "Teddy, go down to your room now. Your dad and I will decide your punishment." She folded her arms and sighed. "I'm very disappointed. I know our happiness doesn't seem that important you right now but parents need to spend time together alone. And your selfish move tonight makes that impossible. We clearly can't leave without hiring you a babysitter."

I really wanted to tell her I'd love a babysitter – a skinny, blonde one – but I held back. She really did look pained like I'd ruined something really special.

 _What on earth do they do at that apartment?_

I slunk downstairs and tried to ignore the mumbled murmurs I could hear coming through the vent. Something told me the next couple of weekends were going to be very boring.

I lay on the bed and pulled out my cell phone, feeling pretty lucky they forgot to take it from me. Maybe if I had this sucker on-hand, I could survive at least the rest of this weekend.

I turned it on to find a text message. It was from an unrecognized number:

"Did your parents flip out?"

I looked at the number – it was local. My first thought was that it must be Emma, but there was no way she was texting me after that whole charade we went through tonight. But the only other person who knew I was grounded was… _could it be Athena?_

I texted back:

"Who is this?"

There was no response at first. I began to worry.

 _Did I scare her off? Maybe I should have said 'please'?_

I switched over to my browser to distract myself with sports news while I waited for an answer. Five minutes later it finally came:

"Who do you think?"

Oh, she wants to play games, does she?

"If it's Lindsay Lohan, I'm going to be very disappointed."

I smiled to myself. _This had better be Athena or this conversation is going to go downhill fast._

The familiar text tone chimed.

"Are you saying you don't like plaid skirts?"

 _Score!_ It was Athena. She was referencing _Mean Girls_.

 _I'm just a little ashamed that I know that reference. But hey, if it gets the girl…_

My energy returned and suddenly I didn't give a damn what horrific punishment my parents were upstairs planning. I had a game to play.

"I like them very much. In fact, I was sad I didn't get to see one tonight…"

 _Ding!_

"Well unless you know of a magical clothing store where you can buy clothes that clean themselves, you're going to have to settle for the awful black skirt every now and then."

 _Oooooooo._ She was digging for compliments. Good sign.

"I liked the black skirt very much too. I wouldn't mind seeing that again."

 _Crumpled up on my bedroom floor…_

Before I could respond, I sent her another message.

"How did you get this number?"

 _Ding!_

"Wouldn't you like to know"

"Why yes, in fact, I would. I don't like stubborn women."

 _Ding!_

"Lol – I doubt that. Let's just say, I'm much smarter than you think."

"I doubt that."

 _Ding!_

"Excuse me, dickhead?" 

"Before you get your panties in a twist, I just meant that I think you're very smart. Sheesh."

 _Ding!_

"Oh…one of your friends at the party gave me your number before I left. I guess he thought I might need it lol?"

"That's very anti-climactic."

Ding!

"I hope that's unusual for you."

Damn! She's bold too.

"Teddy! Come back upstairs for a few minutes, please."

Why is their timing always terrible?

I texted Athena one more time:

"I have to go, parents want to pronounce sentence. I'll text you in the morning."

 _Ding!_

"Not if I text you first."

I entered her number into my phone under "Red Plaid Skirt" and ran upstairs to face the music.

 _ **How do you like it so far? Ana and Christian still have their apartment - what does is this mean? And what will Teddy's punishment be? I love feedback so tell me your thoughts in the comments!**_


	9. Chapter 9

Monday morning was hell. I'd spent the entire weekend grounded, my parents had taken my phone away from me, and as a result, I'd had no opportunity to text or call Athena. After getting dumped Friday night the whole thing just added insult to injury.

I walked into school with my shoved in my pockets, hoping Athena would forgive me if she'd texted over the weekend. I had my hopes up that I'd find her quickly before class started, but I didn't want to go running around looking for her – I didn't really want to run into Emma on accident.

I passed through the hallway and into the cafeteria. I immediately sensed something very strange. It seemed as though every eye was following me through the school. I noticed a few kids whispering and giggling to each other as they stared and one or two people even smirked as I walked by. I looked around for someone I knew. I spotted the guys over at the one of the tables and rushed over, eager to get my mind off all the strange stares.

"Teddy! Sit down, man, haven't heard from you all weekend." It was relieving to find my friends were at least acting normal. "I heard you and Emma broke up. Did she, uh, come down on you pretty hard?"

The guys all snickered and stared at me expectantly. I had no idea what they were talking about. I ignored the jab and turned to Bryan. "Hey man, did you study for the English test today? I'm not sure I can concentrate with Ms. Dunlop's tits staring me in the face."

"Oh, you should be fine as long as she doesn't start using corporal punishment."

They all snickered to themselves again. What the fuck is going on? Just then I saw Red Plaid Skirt talking to a few friends over by the library. I took the opportunity to escape the taunting. Without a word, I grabbed my bag and walked off.

"We're just kidding, man!" Jonathan called, "Will you come back if we give you a black eye?"

The room full of eyes followed me as I got closer and closer to Athena. I tried to ignore them and concentrated on what I wanted to say to her. I needed to apologize, first and foremost. As I got closer she and her friends saw me coming and started giggling.

"Hey, Athena, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"We, uh, have to get to class," one of the girls said (I think her name was Brynlee), "We'll catch you later, Athena." Then with a wink she said "hope you brought your boxing gloves."

I grabbed Athena's arm and led her into the library where I could escape all the stares.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call this weekend. I was grounded and my parents took my phone."

Athena looked at me with discomfort. "No, it's fine, Teddy, I figured that…" Her eyes searched the room.

"Is there something going on today that I don't know about?" I suddenly asked, "I keep thinking everyone is watching me and I can't work out why."

Athena blushed and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, um, you might want to talk to Emma about that. I've got to go to class."

She started to leave but I stopped her. "Emma? What the fuck does Emma have to do with this?"

"I can't answer that question for you, Teddy. Just talk to her."

Fuck. What's going on? What did Emma say about me? And what could she have said that was bad enough for Athena to start blowing me off?

The bell rang but I didn't feel like going to class anymore. I headed back through the cafeteria to the door, slamming the breaker bar on my way out. I didn't want to talk to Emma. That was the last thing I wanted to do. But how was I going to find out what was going on?

Just then, Mike came roaring through the parking lot, his tires squealing – late yet again. I jogged over to his vintage Ford Tempo and caught him just as he was getting out of the driver's seat.

"Mike! Dude, what the fuck is going on?"

"I can't talk now, bro, I'm late for class."

"No!" I slammed him up against the car. "Everybody's acting like dickheads today and I have no idea why. Someone told me it has something to do with Emma."

"I just got here; what makes you think I know anything?"

I shrugged with frustration.

"By the way, sorry to hear about Emma. If she's spreading rumors already, it must've been a pretty shitty breakup."

"Whatever, I'm better off without her."

"Damn straight!" Mike slapped me on the shoulder. "Gotta go, man, see you at lunch."

I was at a complete loss. With nowhere else to turn, I headed back inside. I had to find Emma and find out what kind of bullshit she was spreading around about me.

I camped out in front of the Physics lab where I knew Emma was taking a test during first period. The class seemed to go on forever. Much to my disappointment, she was one of the last to leave the class meaning I had to deal with more giggles and stares while the other thirty or so kids poured into the hallway. This chick was completely doing me in. I began contemplating ways to get her back for whatever she said. _Tell everyone her boobs are fake? Nah, everyone already knows that. Spread a rumor that she cheated on me? No, too cruel._

At long last, she emerged from class with Soren's arm draped around her neck. As soon as she saw me she rolled her eyes. "I'll see later Soren." He gave her a knowing look and headed down the hall without her.

I looked at Emma expectantly. "So? What the hell are you doing?"

"It was just a stupid joke, Teddy, calm down. It wasn't supposed to be such a big deal."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the Physics lab. "What is just a stupid joke? I have no idea what's going on. Everyone's staring and laughing and all I know is it had something to do what something you said. So, spill."

"Jesus, fine. I told everyone that we fought and I slapped you. And then…you got hard." She glanced off at the wall, a shameful attempt to underplay the whole thing.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

I couldn't contain my anger.

"Calm down, Teddy! I was angry okay, you acted like you didn't even want me and it pissed me off. The whole thing got blown out of proportion and now they're calling you…"

She drifted off. Oh no, she wasn't getting of that easy. "What, Emma," I seethed, "What are they calling me?" 

She hesitated again.

"EMMA."

"They're calling you Manslave, okay? God, can I go now? Soren is waiting for me."

I covered my face with my hands. I was in utter disbelief. "How in God's name could you do this to me, Emma? I know our breakup wasn't exactly 'nice' but holy shit…"

"They'll get past it, Teddy, you're overeacting."

"Overreacting? You're making me sound like a complete pussy!"

"Don't get mad at me. You're the one who got hot and heavy over a slap in the face, jackass."

She stormed out before I could retaliate any further. I stood stunned, the sound of the bubbling fish tank in the corner echoing in my ear. How could she do this to me? How could I possibly reverse it?

Shit, would Athena ever talk to me again?

I grabbed my backpack and made my way outside to my car, this time without daring a glance at anyone on my way. As far as I was concerned, the day was over. Suddenly being grounded sounded like a blessing from heaven.


	10. Chapter 10

Four times. Four times I called her, four times she didn't pick up. I left her a message, maybe two. Maybe three. Ok, it was four. Plus I texted a few times – no response there either.

It wasn't fair; she had to give me a chance to explain. There was no way I was going to let Red Plaid Skirt get away over Emma's big fat mouth. But how was I going to get her to listen? I didn't have any desire to accost her around her giggly friends at school.

I skipped school on Tuesday and spent the day at the café. I couldn't face the stares at school and I had a major social media war to fight. If my friends weren't ruthless enough, people I barely knew were posting memes on my Facebook wall that were more than a little insulting. I spent a good part of the morning deleting, replying, and ripping into people for being jerks.

It was a fucking nightmare.

By Wednesday I decided to face the music – mostly because the school called my parents and my phone was dangerously close to becoming a permanent fixture at my mom and dad's secret apartment getaway. The only thing worse than being tormented by my classmates all day was the thought of having no electronic escape machine for surfing porn.

I trudged into school, half-hoping everyone had forgotten about me. My entrance into the commons area revealed that the stares had subsided somewhat, but the chuckles and whispering had not. I avoided my friends' table altogether and went straight to English class. I was relieved to find that the first thing on the schedule after school announcements was an assembly.

 _Good. Not like I could concentrate on schoolwork right now anyways._

Ms. Ecclestein blabbed on about making sure to get ahead on our final term paper, turned on the monitor for announcements, and then led the way to the gym. The massive crowd of students clamoring loudly through the hallways was the perfect cover – not a single person paid any attention to me and my apparent Manslave reputation.

"Hey Teddy!" _Oh shit._ I turned around cautiously, quickening my step. It was Mike. "Dude, wait up, what the hell?"

"Sorry man, didn't hear ya," I lied when he caught up. I waited for the jabbing to start but Mike seemed to have found some sense of integrity.

"You wanna skip the assembly and go smoke a joint?"

I thought about it. It sounded like a great idea. But just then Red Plaid Skirt caught my eye and I knew I might not have another opportunity to snatch her away.

"Tempting, Mike, but I think they're gonna talk about basketball tryouts at the assembly. I can't miss that – I've got a shot at varsity this year."

"Holy shit, really? Damn, I guess I'd better go too then."

 _Damnit._ I was hoping he'd leave so I could pursue my target.

We filed into the gym and found a spot on the edge of the bleachers. I kept Athena in my sight, unwilling to give her a chance to melt into the crowd. The noise started to die down as the music teacher stepped up to the mic and started singing the alma mater. Most everyone joined in, only some of the students in-tune, and I was surprised to find that Mike was one of them. When the song ended, I couldn't resist.

"You're a natural choir boy, man. You know, you could have a shot if you became a eunich."

He just glared and I laughed. Mike the Choir Boy. It was perfect. The Principal rattled off some announcements and then finally the Head Basketball Coach stepped up to the microphone.

"As many of you know, basketball tryouts are coming up. We had a huge turnout last year and we have double the number of incoming freshman so it's going to be competitive. I would suggest joining me and Coach Trussell in open gym after school to get yourselves warmed up for tryouts. We'll be here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for two hours running drills and putting together small practice teams. Anyone can come – this is not the official tryout – but plan on bringing your best game."

He then dove into the details of the dates and times of tryouts. I didn't know if I'd be able to make any open gyms what with my rebellion-then-grounding schedule, but I definitely wouldn't be missing tryouts. I typed the info into my phone, my stomach starting to feel a little queasy. I thought I had a good chance – I'd played well the year before – but team sports definitely didn't run in the family. Between my mother's overall lack of coordination and my dad's tendency to beat the living shit out of anyone who posed a competitive threat…well, my genes were not on my side. But if there was anything I needed to help me deal with my parents, school, and the inevitable fucked-up girl messes I always seemed to be in, basketball was the best answer I'd ever come up with.

My worries abated when a blur of red crossed my vision, heading out the gym doors.

 _Athena!_

"Gotta go drop the kids off at the pool, man," I whispered to Mike.

"Yeah, right," he said, glancing at the door shutting behind Athena. I jumped up and made my way down the bleachers and out the door.

I watched her enter the girl's bathroom and leaned against the wall next to the exit. It seemed she was in there forever – I was starting to notice my hands wrinkle. When she finally came into view, I didn't waste any time. I grabbed her arm – gently, knowing this was a soft spot for her – and looked around. I didn't want to talk to her in the middle of the hallway where students could catch us.

"Teddy, what the hell – " she tried to pull away but I wasn't having it. That pissed off look came over her face but I didn't care. She was going to hear me out one way or another. I grasped the handle to the janitor's closet and shoved her in, closing the door behind us.

"Teddy, for fuck's sake, let me out!" she screamed.

"Keep your voice down!" We scuffled for a minute while I tried to keep her from the door handle. Finally I grabbed a broomstick and shoved her up against the wall. "You're not leaving until you talk to me."

"You're scaring me, Teddy," she wheezed in a small voice. I stepped back immediately, dropping the broomstick.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be an ass, I'm just – these rumors are driving me crazy and you won't return my calls. If you want to leave that's fine, but I had to at least try."

She reached for the door handle, but didn't leave. She turned back and sighed. "I don't know why I'm doing this, but you have two minutes to say what you need to say. And you should feel lucky about it because I've never given the benefit of the doubt to someone who's fucked around with me like you just did."

The light from the crack in the door shone right over her blazing eyes. She was pissed. More pissed than the time I smacked her with the gym door. I decided I'd better talk fast.

"This bullshit Emma's been spreading around about me – it isn't true. I don't even know what she's talking about. She said she was just pissed off and that's why she spread the rumor."

Athena leaned against the wall, seeming to be deep in thought. "That's not why I didn't answer your calls. I don't care about the rumor."

I jerked my head back in surprise. "What?"

She hesitated. "Look there's certain things you don't need to know about me right away, okay. The rumor doesn't bother me. Not at all, actually. I just…I have this thing about relationships – I shy away from them. Big time. They've always ended badly for me."

"Jesus, Athena, I'm not trying to get you into bed, I just want you to talk to me."

"I know it's just, after we almost kissed the other night…" she shrugged. "The rumor was just an excuse. The reason I wasn't talking to you was because I was afraid."

She looked defeated. But I couldn't help feeling incredibly relieved. I suddenly didn't give a damn what anyone else thought – if Athena was okay with the rumor, it didn't matter.

"Look, I feel shitty that you're scared, but…I'm glad you're not mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you? You're one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. And I don't usually like nice guys."

She shyly tucked her hair behind her ear. It popped back out and I reached over to put it back in place before she could correct it.

"So what are you scared of?" I stepped in closer, the light from the hallway still illuminating her amazing green eyes, and the heat of her presence making it hard to think straight.

Her breath caught – _good. She wants me like I want her._

"You," she whispered.

"Why?"

She shrugged.

I leaned in. "Does this scare you?"

She nodded. "A little."

"It scares me too." She took a deep breath as I reached over to play with her fingers. "That's why I like it."

She angled her head up towards mine and that rebellious hair snuck out from behind her ear again. Not enjoying the way it was blocking my view, I slowly tucked it back again, smiling. "You hair doesn't want to stay in place; it keeps taunting me."

She shook her head and grinned coyly. "That's because it knows what I want - "

Without another thought, I pulled her lips to mine, kissing her slow and deep. Her hands ran up my arms and neck and into my hair sending chills straight to my dick. I pulled my pelvis back and pushed her against the wall with my chest, hoping not to embarrass her with my instant arousal. I kept one hand on her face, playing in her hair, and let the other slide down to her petit waist, poking my finger just underneath her shirt to caress her soft tan skin.

She moaned into my mouth, prompting me to pull her to me with greater desperation. The kiss could've lasted forever – I wanted it to. Good Lord, I did not want to stop. Her lips felt so warm and perfect against mine. But just as I was preparing to make an attempt at her tasty little tongue, the sound of the assembly leaving the gym filled my ears.

I forced myself to pull away, my head still in a fog. "We definitely don't want to be caught leaving this closet in front of the whole school."

She giggled. "We could just make out until they all go back to class."

 _Oh God, I love that idea._

I had to put forth an extra special effort to push thoughts of her humping me on the floor of the broom closet from my mind so I could figure out how to open the door. I could see students passing the commons area down the hall, but none of them had wandered our direction yet. We quickly slipped out, shutting the door behind us. I kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment, then linked my fingers in hers and walked her to class.

 _ **Obligatory website pitch (because I'm anal like that): don't forget to visit my blog for more hot and heavy stories! www dot writersoftherain dot com**_


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